WASHINGTON, DC- Following the announcement by President Barack Obama this morning of his new policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman of the Middle East and South Asia subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement:
“President Obama today announced a new way forward on addressing the serious challenges posed by deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. First of all, I applaud the President for initiating a comprehensive sixty day review to lay the groundwork for the strategy announced today. Second, I am encouraged that this Administration is adopting a comprehensive perspective: the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan are interrelated and it makes no sense to arbitrarily separate the two nations. Finally, I am pleased that the era of the blank check is over; the United States will now establish clear metrics and benchmarks for measuring progress by both the Afghan and the Pakistani governments.
“As we move forward, I strongly encourage the Administration to sustain a resolute focus on the goals set forth today by the President: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to prevent their return to either country in the future. The American people will support their Commander in Chief, provided they are given updates on the progress achieved at regular intervals.”
Senator Casey traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan last year to visit with U.S. troops and to meet with local and national leaders.
Senator Casey intends to hold subcommittee hearings later this year to assess the implementation of the President’s new strategy, particularly the decision to establish metrics and benchmarks to measure progress by both the Afghan and Pakistani governments.
Senator Casey met with Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, last weekend in Brussels for a preview of the new plan. He also attended a classified briefing yesterday with Holbrooke, Michele Flournoy, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and Bruce Riedel, the coordinator of the Administration’s policy review. Senator Casey also met last night with Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. Ambassador-designate for Afghanistan.
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